


That Arizona Sky, Burning In Your Eyes

by ShineBrightStarLight



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drabble, M/M, look idk how to tag this since not a whole lot happens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:47:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22196530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShineBrightStarLight/pseuds/ShineBrightStarLight
Summary: James' life was forever changed when, at eight years old, he was introduced to Keith Kogane. Although their first meeting didn't go well, something about Keith caught his interest. James was forever in his orbit.Until he wasn't.One day, Keith didn't come back to school. It would be eight years before James would see him again.
Relationships: James Griffin/Keith (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 49





	That Arizona Sky, Burning In Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for August Writers Month; prompt; kids, but I decided that I didn't like it and started again. I've been clearing out my wips and drafts and thought that this was actually kind of sweet? I'm not sure why I didn't like it, but I may as well post it.
> 
> Title from Lady Gaga's "Always Remember Us This Way" and has no real relevance to the plot. 
> 
> I have no idea how to tag this so... 
> 
> Hope you enjoy?

James still remembers when they met, as clear as day. It was a chilly November morning. All the leaves had fallen, and it was well into winter. Shops had put up their Christmas decorations already. 

Ten minutes after class had started, someone knocked on the door, and the teacher went out to speak to whoever it was. The class erupted into whispers, wondering who it was, the latest gossip – or what could count as gossip for eight-year-olds. The teacher came back momentarily and following her was a boy. 

The first thing that struck James was the boy’s eyes. They were big and sad. Pretty, a voice in the back of his mind whispered, but he wouldn’t accept that part of himself until much later. The boy had long dark hair, and he was wrapped up in a huge red scarf. Even though it wasn’t cold in the classroom, he refused to take it off. 

The teacher introduced him as Keith Kogane, and that was that. 

James had never had a problem introducing himself to anyone before, but it took him weeks to gather the courage to speak to Keith. He watched him though and noticed how he kept to himself. How he didn’t pay attention in class, but still got near-perfect scores. How a white woman with red hair picked him up from school every day. Keith never looked happy to see her, and she didn’t look happy to see him either. James often wondered about them. What kind of person wasn’t happy to see their own son?

One day, James finally decided to speak to Keith. He approached hesitantly, but when Keith didn’t look up, he tried to portray himself as more confident. 

“I’m James,” he said, and he stuck his hand in Keith’s face. Keith looked up, surprised before his face shuttered and lost all emotion. 

“I know,” he said and turned back to looking out the window. Looking back on it, James can see why Keith reacted the way he did, but at the time he was incredibly hurt. 

So, he decided to ignore Keith. If Keith wanted to be alone for the rest of his life, well, that wasn’t James’ problem. 

But it was impossible to ignore Keith. No matter how hard Keith tried to blend into the background, he always stood out like a shining star. 

Keith never spoke in class, but his face lit up when they learned about space. Those were the only lessons Keith actively paid attention to. 

Keith didn’t come back after summer break. 

James tried not to think about it, but he was worried. He was used to seeing Keith dark hair in the corner of his eye. He was used to his bored voice answering questions. He was used to seeing him hang around the edges of the yard. 

Keith was always in his orbit until he wasn’t. 

James didn’t meet Keith again until they were sixteen. He had come back, and he seemed happier. He had a large and rowdy group of friends, and although he was still quiet in class, he participated. By this stage, James was coming around to the idea of being bi, although he hadn’t told anyone yet. And the first time he saw Keith again, after all those years, he had the exact same thought. Pretty, the voice said, except this time the voice was screaming it, so loudly James wondered if he said it out loud. 

James never really attempted to speak to Keith again – he doubted Keith even remembered him – but their friends were friends, so it was hard to avoid him. 

One evening, in their final year, James was heading home late. He had some work he wanted to finish, and home was loud and busy, so he stayed in the school library. As he was getting into his car, he saw a small figure sitting on the curb. The person was in red and had thick black hair. 

Keith.

James contemplated just getting into his car and driving home, but he knew he would regret it. He steeled himself for the rejection and pulled up in front of Keith. 

“Umm, hey Keith, need a ride home?” he said. Keith’s head jolted up, and he stared at him in surprise. His eyes looked purple in the evening light. 

“Oh, James, um, sure.” 

James was surprised that he agreed, but happy too. They drove in silence after Keith gave him his address, but after a few minutes, Keith spoke up. 

“I thought you hated me,” he said, a statement or a question James wasn’t sure. 

“I don’t,” he replied, surprised, “Why did you think that?” 

Keith didn’t say anything for a few minutes, and James thought that that was the end of the conversation. 

“I was rude to you, when we first met,” Keith said, quietly, “And you never tried to speak to me again. I thought you hated me.” 

“Oh,” James said, and thought it over, “I didn’t hate you. Well, maybe a little, back when I was a kid. But I’m over that now. We were kids, and sometimes kids are rude. Honestly, I thought you hated me, which is why I avoid you.” They stop at red lights, and James lets the car idle. 

“My dad died,” Keith said softly, “Just before we met. Mom left when I was a baby, and Dad was the only family I had. I was put with a horrible foster family. I hated them, and they hated me. So, I’m sorry for being rude to you. I didn’t know how to handle my own feelings and I wrongly took it out on you. I was scared of letting people in for a long, long time. Scared that they’d leave just like Mom and Dad did.” 

After that, Keith and James spent a lot more time together. They had a better understanding of each other. They both moved away to go to the same university, and they got even closer. 

Somewhere along the way, James fell in love. 

He doesn’t know when it started, but he does remember when he realised. 

After big exams, Keith and James had a tradition of going out to a hill near their college and stargazing. Keith had just finished a stressful exam, and James picked him up. They made their way to the hill, only to see a couple sitting in the place they always did. 

“Aww, someone’s in our spot,” Keith said, and something about the way he said it brought bubbles of joy to James’ chest. Our spot. The spot that Keith and James had. 

Later, Keith fell asleep slumped against James’ chest. Keith could never stay up too late, he liked his sleep. James lay down so they were in a more comfortable and ran his fingers through Keith’s hair. It was so soft. Keith sighed, and James looked down at his sleep-slacken face. 

Oh, he thought. And that was that.

They both went back to their hometown during summer break. It was weird to see his old friend group again. They had all changed, but they still got on amazingly. Nadia and Ina went to the same university as one of Keith’s friends, Pidge, so they suggested that their groups hang out. 

James couldn’t be in the same room as Keith without being caught by his gravitational pull. Keith was the sun, and James was just a tiny, insignificant rock floating around him. Luckily, Keith accepted him into his orbit. They were used to sharing easy affection, and they got a few eyebrows raised for it from their friends. It was hard to remember that their friends didn’t know how close they were now. 

A few nights later, Keith asked if he could pick him up. They went to a nearby park, where there is little light pollution. It wasn’t as clear as their hill, but the stars were just as beautiful as always. Nearly as beautiful as Keith. 

It was difficult, sometimes, to remember him as that angry little boy. They seemed like completely different people to James now. His Keith was soft and sweet. Shy, sometimes. He had a temper, and wasn’t afraid to voice his opinion, or take a stand against bad guys, and it gave him a reputation for being aggressive. But James knew better. Keith just wanted to leave the world a little bit brighter, a little bit happier. 

That night, Keith and James shared their first kiss and it was all over from there. 

Keith and James got married in the spring when the air was fresh and clear. The day was for new beginnings. Even though they no longer lived there, they held the ceremony on their hill. They stayed there until it was dark, long after all their guests had left. They made love under the stars.

And now, Keith and James had kids of their own. They’re nearly the same age as Keith and James were when they met. James was determined to raise happy and friendly kids, who would be kind and caring enough to take a quiet and angry kid like Keith under their wings. He didn’t know if they succeeded, but he loved them all the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Find me on Twitter!  
> [@starlightsight](https://twitter.com/starlightsight)


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